Kublai Khan- He was the most influential emperor of the Mongols, who had the largest land empire in history. He founded the Yuan Dynasty, when he conquered China.
Marco Polo- He was a great explorer from Italy. He traveled to China and became friends with Kublai Khan, who had by then conquered the country. He also wrote books about his travels and published them all over Europe.
General Zhao Kuangyin- He was the founder of the Song Dynasty. He unified China after he took control by claiming the Mandate of Heaven. He also drove off the invading Mongols.
Hung Wu- This was the monk who drove the Mongols out of China with his organization, the White Lotus Society.
Prince Shotoku- He was the man who unified the clans of Japan after the Yamoto Dynasty, the first and only dynasty in Japan.
Chinese Architecture
Chinese Architecture
Asian Terms
Porcelain- A very thin, fragile ceramic made from very fine clay baked at high temperatures. China was famous for this pottery.
Samurai- The "knights" of Japan, warriors who fought on horseback with a sword and a bow. They were loyal to lords and lived by their warrior code.
Shogun- The powerful military leader over the centralized government created by Minamoto Yoritomo.
Kamikaze- The name given to the typhoon that prevented the Mongols from invading Japan, literally "divine wind". This created a belief that the Japanese would always be protected from attack.
Shinto- The Japanese belief that kami (spirits of streams, rivers, mountains, trees, etc) and ancestral spirits are present and must be respected.
Physical Map of China
Overview of Asian History
This portion of Chinese history began with Emperor Yang Chian, who founded the Sui Dynasty and extended the Grand Canal in order to link the Yellow and Yangze Rivers. That dynasty was replaced with the Tang Dynasty, when China became the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world. In the Tang Dynasty, poetry, woodblock printing, the fine pottery called china, and Zen Buddhism were all introduced. Then, the Song Dynasty came about. General Zhao Kuangyin claimed the Mandate of Heaven and unified China. He deterred the Mongols, who were determined to conquer China. During this dynasty, the word Mandorins came into play. The Mandorins were a wealthy, elite group of scholars who had to have passed the civil service exam imposed by Empress Wu. Also during this dynasty was when the practice of footbinding started. In the next dynasty, China had fallen to the Mongols. Kublai Khan is the leader who managed this great feat. He was the grandson of the better-known Genghis Khan. While the Mongols controlled China, Marco Polo became a close confidante of Kublai Khan's and published his observations and tales of his travels in a book called The Travels of Marco Polo. Nobody believed him, however, and he became know as "Prince of Liars". Surprisingly, the leader of the group that forced the Mongols out of China was a Buddhist monk named Hung Wu. He organized a group called the White Lotus Society, which led a revolt against the Mongols.
400-1500 AD
Sadie and Dylan"I will rule them by fixed laws [so] that rest and happiness shall prevail in the world." -Chingis Khan
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Traditional Chinese Music
Important People
Chinese Architecture
Asian Terms
Physical Map of China
Overview of Asian History
This portion of Chinese history began with Emperor Yang Chian, who founded the Sui Dynasty and extended the Grand Canal in order to link the Yellow and Yangze Rivers. That dynasty was replaced with the Tang Dynasty, when China became the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world. In the Tang Dynasty, poetry, woodblock printing, the fine pottery called china, and Zen Buddhism were all introduced. Then, the Song Dynasty came about. General Zhao Kuangyin claimed the Mandate of Heaven and unified China. He deterred the Mongols, who were determined to conquer China. During this dynasty, the word Mandorins came into play. The Mandorins were a wealthy, elite group of scholars who had to have passed the civil service exam imposed by Empress Wu. Also during this dynasty was when the practice of footbinding started. In the next dynasty, China had fallen to the Mongols. Kublai Khan is the leader who managed this great feat. He was the grandson of the better-known Genghis Khan. While the Mongols controlled China, Marco Polo became a close confidante of Kublai Khan's and published his observations and tales of his travels in a book called The Travels of Marco Polo. Nobody believed him, however, and he became know as "Prince of Liars". Surprisingly, the leader of the group that forced the Mongols out of China was a Buddhist monk named Hung Wu. He organized a group called the White Lotus Society, which led a revolt against the Mongols.
Zheng- Traditional Chinese instrument
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